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Exclusive: New analysis details how IOC used money earned during 2013-2016 Olympic cycle

Exclusive new analysis of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s financial accounts reveals how the body used the more than $5.6 billion (£4.4 billion/€4.8 billion) of revenue it generated over the last full Olympic cycle between 2013 and 2016.

The analysis, by insidethegames, shows that nearly one in every three dollars the IOC earned, chiefly from the sale of broadcasting rights and sponsorship, went to the various Olympic and Youth Olympic Games Organising Committees operational during the period, mainly those tied to Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.

Some 13.8 per cent of revenue was channelled to International Sports Federations (IFs), with just over 18 per cent going to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and a further 10.6 per cent covering broadcasting costs.

Among NOCs, 7.2 per cent of IOC revenue, equivalent to more than $400 million (£312 million/€340 million), appears to have gone to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and some 10.9 per cent to the rest.

About the author

David Owen worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup and London 2012.

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Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

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